


Stranger With A Smile

by InterstellarVagabond



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:21:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4562730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off the tumblr AU prompt: "I'm on the bus and my 2-year-old won’t stop crying, except you just smiled at them and they did."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranger With A Smile

"Oh, Neal, hush up now." Mr. Gold sighed over his tantruming child. Neal was a good kid, but ever since his mother left he'd been just as emotional as his volatile father, and though Gold loved him he had no idea how to deal with him.

For instance that morning when riding the bus to drop Neal off at daycare, something had triggered a toddler meltdown of epic proportions. Gold looked uneasily at the other adults around him, hating their judging looks. How dare they make assumptions about his family?

"Neal, this is no way to behave." Gold said sternly. "What's the matter?"

Neal didn't answer, the toddler was too busy crying. Tears streamed down his red face as he kicked his legs dramatically. 

"Everything alright?" A soft voice said, and Gold had half a mind to look up and throttle whoever was butting in on the delicate parenting moment. That is, he had until he looked up and actually saw the beautiful woman peering over the bus seat before him.

"Oh...everything's fine." Gold said curtly once he'd recovered from the shock.

"Looks like quite a fit there." The woman said sympathetically, absentmindedly playing with her brown curls. "What's the matter, little guy?"

Neal looked up at the woman and suddenly his crying grew softer. He hiccuped and sniffled slightly, and Gold stared in amazement.

"How did you do that?" He asked. The woman smiled and stood, sidling over to Gold's seat. 

"Mind if I sit?" She asked. 

"Not at all." Gold slid over to give the woman room to sit. "May I ask your name? I'd like to know the name of the woman who can charm my Neal into silence."

"It's Belle." The woman smiled. "And you are?"

"Gold." Mr. Gold felt a blush rise to his cheeks and smiled. 

"Hello, Neal." Belle looked across Gold to where his son was still quietly sniffling. "There's quite a lot of people on this bus, isn't there? I bet it's pretty scary, huh?"

Neal nodded silently.

"How about we distract ourselves?" Belle suggested. "We could tell a story! What kind of stories do you like, Neal?"

"...magic." Neal whispered. 

"I read him this story every night...about a wizard, he refuses to read any other books. He only likes that one." Gold laughed. 

"Wizards, huh?" Belle looked up thoughtfully for a second. "Well I've got a story about a wizard. His name was...The Gold Wizard, and his magic power was protecting little children from nightmares and boogeymen." Belle grinned and at that moment Neal's tears disappeared and he grinned too. By the time the wizard story (which painted Mr. Gold in a very flattering light) had concluded, Neal was giggling and clapping and Mr. Gold was entirely enamored. 

When it came time for Gold and Neal to exit the bus, he found himself turning back to the strange storyteller. 

"Thank you for...all that." He said. "Sometimes I think I'm not the best father..."

"You look like a good father to me." Belle said. "Kids are just hard to understand. They're as complicated as adults, but more honest about how they feel."

"You're definitely right there." Gold said. "Maybe I should take a page from their book and be honest about how I feel. I feel like I'd like to see you again, if that's alright with you?"

"Honestly, I would like that a lot." Belle blushed.


End file.
